UEN Helped Emery County Libraries Improve Wi-Fi Speeds by Up to 100x

Emery County, in east-central Utah, is the state’s fourth-largest by area, but it has only about 10,000 residents. 

To meet the needs of the widespread residents, the county has built a robust library system with eight branches in different small towns. Not surprisingly, keeping the technology in all eight branches up to date requires significant planning, effort, and resources.

“One of the biggest challenges to digital access in our community is stable access to the internet and regularly available devices to gain digital access,” said Desirée Malley, Library Director of the Emery County Libraries. “There is a large digital divide in Emery County, and there are numerous obstacles to helping span the divide.”

One of the obstacles is aging technology, which, until last year, included the libraries’ Wi-Fi systems. Reliable Wi-Fi is a critical need in rural communities, where residents use it for everything from work meetings to healthcare appointments.

“In the past, it was not uncommon to see people huddled on the steps of a branch library or in front of the branch libraries outside of the operating hours,” Malley said. The quality of the connection varied from branch to branch, but it was slow and couldn’t meet the needs of all their patrons.

Last year, however, the Emery County Libraries worked with the Utah Education Network (UEN) to upgrade their Wi-Fi systems using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The results were dramatic. While all branches saw upload and download speeds improve by at least double, some saw far greater improvements. Green River Library saw upload speeds improve from 9.23 Mbps to 975.9 Mbps—100 times faster—and a similar improvement in download speeds.

Equally important was the improved range of the library Wi-Fi. Before the upgrade, the Wi-Fi range was limited to the library buildings themselves, leading to patrons huddling on the steps, as Malley said.

“Now these people can sit on benches and in other public spaces to access and use the Wi-Fi,” she explained. “We have seen community members using the Wi-Fi for a variety of purposes, from work meetings in the park to telehealth appointments in a car to individuals or groups streaming content on a device.” The expanded Wi-Fi has also allowed the library to host outside events, further enriching the community.

A surprising benefit of the expanded Wi-Fi was enhanced law enforcement. “We were able to partner with several municipalities to allow them to access the wireless network we are providing to connect cameras and monitor nearby public areas,” Malley said. “This coverage helped law enforcement address several vandalism issues.”

The process of applying for and receiving funds was intensive, but UEN helped Malley and her team, and Malley has advice for others who undertake this kind of project. “When you plan your project, begin by identifying your definition of a successful project,” she said. “Then work backwards to determine who and what you need to accomplish the elements of a successful project.”

Malley would love to see future projects that can help her libraries address patrons’ technology needs by purchasing devices, subscriptions, and other resources. In the meantime, the enhanced Wi-Fi is helping to close the critical digital divide.

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